Tools

Task Manager is one of the most useful tools in Windows. It is the program you turn to when you want to review the performance of your PC, speed up a slow computer, optimize your boot speed or even save battery power.

It’s a control panel, if ever there was one!

However, like many other built-in Windows tools, there are alternatives available that either offer a more streamlined experience or an expanded feature set. This makes these programs ideal for power users that want more than what the default tool in the operating system offers.

We take a look at 6 of the best free Windows Task Manager alternatives, and see how they stack up against the Microsoft solution.

Wise System Monitor

Pretty much your best bet if you want a modern task manager that comes with a stylish UI and makes performance monitoring accessible. System Monitor has that sleek, inviting look and feel, which even the new and improved Task Manager in Windows can’t offer.

A smart design brings together all the tools you need — making the utility feel comprehensive.

A nicely tabbed interface has the options divided into dedicated panels. Each process displays a large icon, while information like processor usage and to data sent and received is given plenty of room. This means that unlike other programs, you don’t have to squint and scroll to see what’s going on.

There are two tick boxes at the bottom that can be used to filter out Windows or Internet processes. And killing any process is simply a matter of locating the small down arrow and choosing End Process. It is also possible to view detailed information or block network access for a process.

The program continues to monitor processes in the background as long as it is on. And while Wise System Monitor is very easy to navigate, the Windows Task Manager does things a bit better by categorizing Apps and Background processes, which makes management easier.

System Explorer

If you have been using Task Manager regularly over the years, you will feel right at home with System Explorer and its old school layout. It displays a continually shifting list of processes, much like the default Windows tool.

Navigation is simple using the tabs spread across the top and these can be easily customized to your liking. You can add or remove 14 additional categories here, from Autoruns to Drivers and Security Info to Networking.

Hover over the icon in the notification area and the program reveals pretty much everything you might want to know. Some of these details are also visible at the bottom of the main window. There is an ample amount of information on display — suitable for beginners and advanced users alike.

Perhaps the best feature is the ability to click and drag to select window, where System Explorer highlights the process onscreen. Killing, suspending, restarting or prioritizing that process is as easy as a button press.

One feature that sets this program apart is its built-in Security Scan option that reviews and shows potentially threatening processes. Overall, this is a beast of a program that is sure to delight power users with its plethora of options and powerful capabilities.

Process Explorer

A longtime favorite of many, Process Explorer is not all that different from System Explorer. Just like that program, this one comes with extras like a Crosshair tool and virus scanning option. Its interface is also rather busy, but that has got more to do with its classic roots than anything else.

The main screen offers little direction on what to do and where to go.

And while ease of use may not be its immediate strength, Process Explorer squeezes all pertinent information into the main window. This helps increase efficiency for power users but at the expense of you really having to drill down to see all the details.

If you are after something stylish and usable like Wise System Monitor, you’ll not find it here. What you’ll find is a sheer volume of data on display, with each column being color coded, as well as the option to add new ones and change fonts and colors.

One unique feature here is the ability to check the digital signatures of any executable file you are running. Also handy is the option of killing an entire process tree at once.

Process Hacker

Think of this as a more refined alternative of Process Explorer, with a better look but fewer features. One handy option here is the ability to scroll to new processes — this makes system monitoring a breeze for power users and professionals.

Four tabs display the Processes, Services, Network and Disk options.

You can also view load time and load reasons for process modules on Windows 8 and above. For example, if a long running process like Explorer.exe develops a problem, you have the option of sorting its modules by load time to get a clue about the cause of the issue.

Right-clicking a service provides helpful options like opening the key of a process in the Regedit, or opening its file location on the disk.

Good use of colors and icons throughout the window means you can be up and running in a snap. But at the end of the day there are better and more powerful choices available. There are programs that do more than Process Hacker, despite not looking as good.

WinUtilities Process Security

More than just a task manager, WinUtilities Process Security bills itself as a packaged solution for all basic Windows utilities. You will find disk cleanup, registry backup and even an uninstall manager packed into a single program.

In terms of UI, this program certainly feels like last decade.

But at least, it does a good enough job of putting everything in front of you to manage. One very handy function in this program is that it displays the security level of every process running, and it works perfectly fine to provide you with hints on shady applications.

The program lists details like CPU, memory and page file usage on the left side, while the main window provides you with access to information and properties of the running processes on your system. You can also end processes, set priority and generate reports from here.

Daphne

With a fancy name like Daphne, you would expect a stellar program. Well, the truth is, this application may not be stunning, but its real appeal is its ability to kill processes politely. That is to say, it tells programs to quit after they are finished doing their task.

It is also possible to kill processes in bulk.

And that familiar Crosshair option over a window is also available that lets you decide whether to end, hide or change size of an application. The ability to set transparency for windows or set any to be always on top is also on offer.

There may not be enough here for a full and dedicated Task Manger replacement, but as the first open source alternative, Daphne is worth a look for its power and simplicity. The UI may need some time getting used to, but at the very least all the options are neatly tucked away in menus.

Although the advent of SSDs have meant that defragmentation is no longer a necessity for many PC users, disk defrag programs are still a crucial part of regular disk drive maintenance.

They are absolutely required to speed up boot and program loading times on traditional HDDs.

Defragmentation software work their magic by moving the fragments around your hard drive into what can be called a continuous stream. Meaning, instead of your large files and folder scattered around on the disk, they are placed together for faster access.

Running a defrag routine once a week is recommended — ideally in the background when you are not doing anything major on your PC. Windows comes with a fairly basic disk defragmenter utility out the box, though there is no shortage of alternate choices available. Many of these programs come with advanced features and options to schedule and finely tune your disk defragmentation.

We take a look at some of the best ones below.

Disk Defragmenter

The standard tool included in Windows is not bad, at least the one in versions Windows XP and up. While that one was slow and a tricky package overall, the utility included in Windows Vista and Windows 7 is a solid enough option.

One thing you will find is that this program lacks a good visual interface, meaning it can be a bit hard to know exactly what is going on during the whole process. However, the application is speedy, and provides relevant information both before and after the defragmentation.

Like all good utility programs, you can schedule the Disk Defragmenter tool to run daily, weekly or monthly. It also works on both internal and external hard drives. And even though newer, better options are now easily available, this one still does the job if you don’t want to, or can’t, download them.

Defraggler

Ask anyone for a disk defragmentation program, and Piriform Defraggler is always one of the first recommendations. With good reason, too. This is one of the best free defrag software out there, with a number of handy options.

It works on both internal and external drives, always a plus. Defraggler can run a boot time defrag to speed up your system booting. And the program even lets you defragment individual files and folders making it perfect for professionals and power users.

Defraggler also provides a nice visual representation of the action. Unfortunately, a few other programs have it beat in terms of speed. But overall, as far as capabilities go, this one is right up there at the top. If you will only download one program from the list, make it Defraggler.

Smart Defrag

Looking for a stylish little application to manage the fragments on your hard disk? This one fits the bill, and how. One of the finest disk defragmentation tools available on Windows, IObit Smart Defrag has a few new tricks up its proverbial sleeve.

Options include replacing the Windows Disk Defragmenter, prevent defragmentation of your chosen records and folders, defragging just the modern Windows 10 apps, and skipping defragging files that are over a specific size.

These finely tuned options aside, Smart Defrag is also great at scheduling an automatic defrag, and its boot time defrag does a good job of removing fragments from locked files. It also comes with a feature to remove junk files on your system to help speed up the deal.

Stylish user interfaceExcellent support for SSDsBoot and gaming optimizationsAds on free version Developer: IObit Download:Smart Defrag★★★★★

O&O Defrag

Funky name aside, O&O Defrag Free Edition offers a simple user interface that provides easy access to the more advanced options that are available here. You can analyze a drive, get a rundown of the content, and check it for errors before getting underway with the process.

In terms of scheduling, you and set it up to defrag your disk on a weekly basis, for example, or to begin a defrag process automatically when a screensaver pops up. An easy to understand wizard is also provided to setup scheduling or start the optimization process immediately.

Worth a mention that some features in the program are only available in the paid version of O&O Defrag. This can be annoying at times when you want to enable a setting. Still, with 8 defragmentation method and background monitoring of your defragmentation levels, this one is a capable piece.

Support for scheduled defragsSimple, professional interfaceSome features only limited to premiumCan’t exclude certain files from being defragged Developer: O&O Software Download:O&O Defrag★★★★☆

Auslogics Disk Defrag

Coming from a land called Australia, this program keeps it straight and to the point. Auslogics Disk Defrag does an excellent job of rearranging the bits on your hard drives to maximize the free space and keep your system running in tip top shape.

Smartly, it will even move your system files to the fastest area of your hard drive. This gets everything in the right place, before the regularly scheduled programming. Disk Defrag can also be set to run on more than one drive at once, in case you have multiple disks laying around that need optimization.

Like Defraggler, the program will also show you a list of fragmented files instead of a vague fragmentation report so you can you better devise a plan of action. Auslogics offers this tool as both a regular installable program, but it can also be ported in a portable fashion for use on removable media.

Quick, easy installCan set defrag priorityDefrags more than one drive simultaneouslyNo option to defrag free spaceInability to move file to the end of the disk Developer: Auslogics Download:Disk Defrag★★★★☆

Disk SpeedUp

When it comes to appropriately named programs on this list, we have Disk SpeedUp. With a clean and crisp visual interface, and the ability to start a defragment process in just a couple of clicks, this software is one of the finest ones around.

Disk SpeedUp not only defragments your drives, it also arranges fragmented files consecutively. But the best part is that the program ensures that your new data has been correctly written to the drive, before overwriting old data. This allows you to easily pause the defrag process whenever you want.

Also built in is Disk Doctor, a module that checks the files and drives for errors and fixes them if it finds any. In addition to that, you also get a fairly good idea about the health and wear and tear experienced of your drive here, all of which is presented accurately. Good stuff.

MyDefrag

Power users will love the power on offer here. MyDefrag can be as simple and as complex a program you can make it to be. It offers a lot of advanced features, all of which can be customized based on your needs.

The deal is that you will be loading and running scripts on your drives. Many of these scripts are included when you first install the program, and these include directives like analyzing a drive, defrag on a schedule, and consolidate the free space available on a disk.

Powers users and system administrators have the option of building their own scripts to customize how MyDefrag works. This makes it a worthwhile program for use in enterprise scenarios. The only notable downside is that this program has not been updated in a while, since May 2010.

Tons of features for power usersSupport for scriptsBusy, complicated UILimited compatibility with newer WindowsRarely updated Developer: Markus Hörl Download:MyDefrag★★★☆☆

UltraDefrag

Another program that caters to both novices and advanced users, with powerful options at hand if you need to make specific changes to how the program runs. UltraDefrag offers a functional interface, with all the common functions that you would expect from a disk defragmentation tool.

You will find options like repairing, defragging and drive optimization on easy access using the menus, while advanced functionality is also available in the form of BAT files that you need to create. The UI, on the other hand, is simple and modern, with focus on the various commands.

UltraDefrag can be download as both an installable and potable version, for both 32-bit and 64-bit variants of Windows. In terms of speed, this came right around the middle of the pack — not the fastest program around, but one that still works at a respectable pace.

Open sourceSupport for boot time defragOld school UIScheduling can be confusing Developer: UltraDefrag Development Team Download:UltraDefrag★★★☆☆